There is an over-concentration of student and transient accommodation in the Dublin Inner City. With regards to student accommodation, the city development plan states that the planning authority “will have regard to the pattern and distribution of student accommodation in the locality and resist the over concentration of such schemes in any one area”. In Dublin 8 alone the total number of student bed spaces in schemes either already inplace, under construction, approved or proposed within 250 metres of the proposed Sweeney Corner development is 1058. Extending the radius to 1km brings the total to 3752 bed spaces. In addition to student bed spaces, almost exclusively all other development in the area are providing for transient accommodation. This includes hotels recently built, under construction of approved at Kevin Street (Maldron), directly adjacent at Mill Street (Aloft), the Coombe (Hyatt), Vicar Street and Newmarket, as well as Staycity aparthotels directly adjacent and approved for the Tivoli site on Francis Street. Finally, 2 other sites in the immediate vicinity of Blackpitts and Donore Avenue which have planning approval in place for an apartment and office scheme respectively, are now back on the market advertising their suitability for hotel and/or student accommodation. Although the application in question at Sweeney’s Terrace provides for a number of build-to-rent apartments, it is still primarily a development of student accommodation. At this stage, it must be considered that there is sufficient student accommodation in the area, and accommodation of a more permanent nature must be encouraged in order to provide an appropriate diversity of accommodation types.

Grand Canal Docks SDZ Affordable housing project in jeopardy Part 5 social housing delivery will not be delivered on site and possibly not within the Dockland SDZ or greater Dockland area. The North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock SDZ planning scheme envisaged a model of sustainable inner-city regeneration incorporating socially inclusive urban neighbourhoods and by not delivering social housing on site or within the SDZ the spirit and the promise of the Docklands SDZ Scheme has been broken. “We have seen a lot of cranes in the Docklands but not a lot of homes. Particularly affordable homes.” ‘Affordable’ housing means different things in different places, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy says. Private developers must deliver affordable homes on lands benefitting from public funds. He added: “Affordable needs to mean affordable.” Economic recovery, and with it rising apartment costs, has had an impact upon “Part Vs”, to the legal rule that means developers have to sell 10 percent of homes in larger developments to the council for affordable housing, or make some equivalent arrangement. Part V: New developments are required to provide up to 10% of units (or equivalent land) for social housing to councils at ‘cost’. However, this has not resulted in any confirmed new social housing units in the SDZ (awaiting update from DCC), and to our knowledge none of the planned 2600 new residential units in the area are currently designated as social housing. Recently, DCC councillors have been informed that the costs of purchasing units in the Docklands area “well exceed the DPHCLG cost ceilings and are not deemed value for money”. Therefore, the City Council has determined that off-site provision (albeit in the ‘entire Docklands area’) be considered to comply with Part V. As a result, the local community has “lost out”, while developers in the Docklands are making an absolute fortune out of this site. Subsidised sites would always deliver affordable housing. Where significant public money is being brought to open up a site, affordability will have to be part of the negotiations. The North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock SDZ was made by the Elected Members of Dublin City Council in November 2013 and approved by An Bord Pleanála on the 16th May 2014 and will provide for 2,600 residential units and up to 360,000 sq. metres of office space, as well as retail, community and public amenity facilities which will create 23,000 jobs. If the SDZ were delivered under the proposed schemes, there would be 260 units available for the households eligible for these units. Funding is a major issue in relation to those social units. The theory is that DCC would acquire units at cost, rather than at market value. If 260 units were made available to DCC at an average cost of say €500,000, the total cost would be €130m. Can DCC realistically source funding of €130m from the DoHPLG?. The system as currently implemented appears to leave the balance of power with developers. Source: https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s21553/320%20DOCF%20Annual%20Report%202018.pdf Dublin City Council has said it prefers to take social housing on site, within the same complexes and estates as the private homes. But it is being priced out of the Docklands SDZ area, unable to purchase the homes on offer in new complexes there. In April, Executive Housing Manager Anthony Flynn said the council was talking to five developers about other options for how to get that Part V social housing. When councillors get updates about the Docklands, council planners often brush off queries relating to housing provision, Workers’ Party Councillor Eilís Ryan says. When they “are pushed on housing they don’t actually claim any responsibility for it”, Ryan says. Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) where a fast-track planning process allows developers to get planning consent within two months of application. Under the planning laws, Developer is required to provide 10 per cent of the apartments for sale to the council for social housing at a discounted price, if it secures planning permission. Changes made in 2015 mean councils can no longer take cash from the developer instead of social housing. Back in 2010 Mr Ahern said: “The fact that the Grand Canal Docks would be primarily used for housing met Government policy objectives to increase residential densities and provide social housing. Well done to the DDDA in the way social and affordable housing are an integral part of the plans. The Taoiseach also commended the authority for its commitment to a public procurement process in seeking joint-venture partners from the private sector, and said he was pleased it would be using its Section 25 powers to "fast-track" the development.” Progress to date The recent 2017 Review of the 2015 Dublin Docklands Social Infrastructure Audit 20151 very disappointingly demonstrates that in the past 3 years there has been little real progress on any of the social infrastructure recommended in the 2015 report. This situation, in the view of the Committee, is unacceptable and continues to fail to address Community needs. Instead large-scale office developments, and exclusive, gated residences have been progressed by commercial developers and have led to an environment that is not inviting to local residents. The Docklands Community requires that social infrastructure be prioritised immediately in order to maximise the sustainability and integration of the indigenous and new communities in the Docklands.

Vulture funds are indicative of a failed banking system. The term is coined in respect of the bird which feasts upon dead or dying creatures, it picks the final pieces of flesh from the bones. This is what is happening in Fine Gael/Fianna Fails Ireland. They are a corrupt force that take advantage of bad debt and poverty and have zero mercy in enforcing their control. The State has been complicit in this, Gardaí accompanying hired mercenaries to enact violence on people whose only crime is to want to keep a roof over their heads. We need legislate to end the sale of distressed debt to Vulture Funds. Protect Irish citizens from evictions as result of Vulture Fund acquisitions. Vulture Funds can buy a bad debt for as little as 4 cent for every €1, they then sue and for the full amount. So a customer could possibly, in theory have a debt of €100,000 - the Vultures buy it for €4,000 and sue the customer for €100,000 plus legal fees. This is a corrupt and unjust system designed to subjugate the working class and we demand that it ends, immediately!

It’s time the Government stepped up and recognised that having a home is more important than rich institutions and people making huge profits off the back of the housing crisis. But, they need to know that there is massive public pressure calling on them to act now.

After years of private market failure in building residential accommodation, we must provide for a new model to tackle the housing crisis on lands which are currently in state control. Dublin 8 has been inundated with development applications for hotel and luxury student accommodation which is undermining the cohesiveness of our community. We want a sustainable urban quarter developed on the Player Wills land and this can only be done with Ministerial intervention to ensure that NAMA fulfill their social remit and deliver quality housing in the inner city.

Housing injustice is a national emergency in Ireland. We need a sustainable solution to the crisis. The provision of state owned rental housing on a large scale, on a non profit basis, would go a long way toward solving the problem. This would provide secure, affordable, high quality rental housing for anyone who needs it, no matter what your income is. Fair Rent Homes would mean that: - 70,000 households would be provided with a home, at a fair rent, for life - a pool of high quality, Fair Rent Homes would be there, owned by the nation, for future generations, instead of spending billions on rent subsidies to private landlords - pressure would be put on the private rental sector to improve standards and provide fairer rents in order to compete with Fair Rent Homes

According to the latest IPCC report, the next twelve years are crucial for action on climate change. There are four ambitious climate and environmental Bills which have been brought by Opposition Parties to the Dail. If the government truly wants to make Ireland a leader on climate change, it should support the passage of these Bills immediately. These are - The Climate Emergency Measures Bill (Bríd Smith PBP) - The Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill (Sinn Fein) - The Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill (Green Party) - The Waste Reduction Bill (Green Party) This is a simple ask. These are all sensible Bills which will move Ireland towards being a cleaner, greener and fairer place to live. We have no time to wait. #ClimateActionNow

It’s one of 9 local authorities not to drawn down any funding allocated for it to provide the accommodation. Over €1.2 million in funding earmarked for the provision of the accommodation has gone unspent.

Since the economic crash in 2008 hundreds of thousands of Irish people have been affected by financial legal issues which can end up in court proceedings. There are currently 20,000 cases for repossession in the Irish Courts. With a typical family of 5 that is over 100,000 people. Some experts say 250,000 - 500,000 are affected by potential repossession in Ireland. While every criminal in Ireland from the petty thief to the rapist, murderer, drug dealer and maybe even Bankers in criminal proceedings are entitled to legal aid, Civil Legal aid is only available for family law issues in Ireland. People in financial difficulty have to try and represent themselves in Court, or, just not go to Court at all, and lose their homes by default; without a defence being put forward. While ordinary citizens go unrepresented, the financial institutions often have a Solicitor, or maybe even two, and one or two Barristers. A Fair Trial requires there to be balance and equality between the parties and is known as an Equality of Arms. In Irish Courts there is #NoEqualityofArms The "Scales of Justice" are completely lob-sided in the financial institutions favour. Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Article 47 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights says everyone is entitled to be advised and represented if the legal issue involves EU law, but this is not implemented in Irish law and, Judges appear not to have jurisdiction to grant legal aid in Civil Cases. Irish Citizens are being denied one of the most Basic and Fundamental Human Rights, the Right to a Fair Trial. The foundation of democracy is based on the Justice & Legal systems. If basic human rights guaranteed under EU law are been withheld from Irish Citizens then... #Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Minister, please introduce emergency legislation to make civil legal aid available to the tens of thousands of people in the Irish Courts involved in repossession proceedings. No Fair Trial = Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Ireland needs #CLAN PS: Please support the Irish #CLAN Please share on social media and ask your friends and family to do the same, the Irish #CLAN needs everyone's support!

There is a housing crisis in Dublin and across the country and communities need affordable homes. Construction should have begun in 2017 but still nothing has happened. 3500 new homes could be built there but the City is still waiting. Aproposed development on the old IGB site will be a game changer for this area and the Ministers lack of decisive action by him and his Department on this ,alter may lead to this development going ahead without the promised 900 social and affordable homes. Please do the right thing and bring affordable homes to Dublin and Ringsend.

Rents in Ireland are at an all-time high, with the national average standing at €1,334 a month. Yet even these staggering figures don’t tell the whole story, because many tenants are being charged additional upfront fees by letting agents and extortionate deposits equal to two or three times the monthly rent. This is a brutal and exploitative way of screening renters with the result that low-income workers and social welfare recipients are effectively locked out of the market. Scotland successfully banned letting agent fees in 2012 and England and Wales are set to do the same early next year, and also introduce a cap on deposits. The Dublin Tenants’ Association is demanding the same from our Government. Sign the petition to show your support!

Monaghan County Council could be fined because it hasn’t spent any Government funding on traveller accommodation. It’s one of 9 local authorities not to drawn down any funding allocated for it to provide the accommodation, Longford and Westmeath are also included. Over €1.2 million in funding earmarked for the provision of the accommodation has gone unspent.